1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus including, for example, an automatic developing apparatus, in which a development or the like can be performed in a short time by bringing processing chemicals into contact with such a photosensitive material as a roll-film or photoprinting paper; and, more particularly, to an automatic processing apparatus for processing instant type photosensitive materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,100 and other prior art disclose developing apparatuses for processing an instant type photosensitive material, which are relatively compact in size, inexpensive in cost and simple in operation. Whereby, however, a stable photographic image is not always obtainable, because the processing liquid and photosensitive material thereof should separately be provided, so that the apparatuses are too delicate to handle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,370,045, 4,371,248 and 4,371,249 disclose, respectively, developing apparatuses incorporating therein a photosensitive material and processing chemicals and taking up the photosensitive material and a sheet material coated with the processing chemicals. Whereby, a stable photographic image is not always obtainable too, because after setting a processing liquid and an exposed photosensitive material in the apparatus, the sheet material and photosensitive material superposed are rewound by hand so that the rewinding time may not be kept constant, and also because such rewinding is carried out by operating a lever for switching over to rewinding mode. To solve the above-mentioned problems, Kaneo Saito, one of the inventors of this invention, proposed an "Automatic Developing Machine" in the Application Ser. No. 543,823 filed on Oct. 20, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,485, wherein a photosensitive material and a guide web, that is a sheet material, are superposed on take-up spool and they are held in place so as to be taken up or rewound by an electric motor, and the take-up operation is then stopped upon automatically detecting a moment when completing the taking-up operation.
The inventors of this invention have improved the above-mentioned Saito's invention. According to this invention, an automatic developing apparatus can be achieved, in which the adhesive property of a material coated with processing chemicals to a photosensitive material can be improved and both of the materials can be taken up and then rewound after a certain time lag, with relatively more accuracy; and in rewinding, any manual operation such as a push-button operation is not required but an automatic rewind is commenced so as to always perform every stable development; and, in addition, any stains caused by processing chemicals remaining on the surface of the material coated with the processing materials can completely be prevented.